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Friday, August 29, 2014

A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings

I haven't done one of those "right now I'm currently doing..." posts in ages and ages, so I thought now, as summer's ending, would be a good time to do one. An update of sorts, you know. I don't tend to blog a great deal about my personal life on here, but now and then it's fun to write a little about what's going on outside of the blogging world. (Because, you know, I do have a life outside of movie reviews and Pinterest. Hard to believe, but it's true. :P)

So, of late, I've been...

~Reading

...the classic Christy (so good! though I don't recommend it for younger readers, as there is some adult content), the thrilling The Count of Monte Cristo (with my dad-- we read a few chapters each week and discuss them), and the fascinating Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen (a look into the life of a very misunderstood historical figure).

~Listening

...to Laura Osnes and Bernadette Peters and Mark Vincent and the Newsies album. Film soundtrack and OBC recording, both. And don't ask me to pick a favorite, because I like both for different reasons and I don't know if I could decide.

~Sewing

...a Civil War ensemble that a friend recently commissioned (currently having lots of fun with petticoats :D) and working here and there on some new skirt designs. Eventually I'd like to expand my Etsy shop to include a line of contemporary clothing with a vintage influence, so that's been dominating my needle lately.

~Watching

...just finished Martin Chuzzlewit with Melody, and I'm mourning the end of Emma Approved... a review will hopefully come soon. (In case you didn't know, Emma Approved is a highly, highly recommended web series-- younger viewers should watch with caution as there are a few very minor content issues but all in all it's a really fabulous adaptation of Emma.) Oh, and my family just saw Muppets Most Wanted on my youngest sister's thirteenth birthday (we have four teenagers in the house now, WHAAAAAAT) and I loved it. Quite hilarious, and Tom Hiddleston's in it, even if only for about a minute. :P I'm also enjoying Green Gables Fables, which is another web series based on (just guess...) Anne of Green Gables. Not as professional as EA, but still fun.

~Working

...at my nannying job, which I've been doing for almost two years now! Time flies-- and my little charge is now almost three. Good grief. (And he's very talkative. And precious and adorable and a chatterbox. And did I mention he talks a lot?)

~Anticipating

...FALL! Sweaters and pumpkins and sharp autumn gusts of wind and tea in dainty cups or chunky mugs and wrapping up in an afghan with a good book. It's my favorite season for a reason. ;)

~Acting

...in a local production of Julius Caesar!!! This is my first real play ever, in my LIFE, and I'm really really really excited. We have four performances in September and I'm looking forward to it immensely. I'm playing the scintillating part of Caesar's servant-who-delivers-stuff (and I'm a guy, so that'll be interesting-- no, I mean, I'm portraying a guy in the PLAY, sheesh, I don't mean in real LIFE, I haven't been LYING to you all this time) and also a Random Plebeian who does a lot of screaming and protesting and shouting in the crowd and stabbing poor Cinna the poet. Shakespeare is awesome. :D

~Studying

...personality types and how people relate to each other. It's fascinating stuff, whether you're looking at the Four Temperaments (good post on those here) or the Myers-Briggs 16-type classification. I'm an ISFJ with a bit of INFP thrown in the mix, which matches me up with John Watson and Combeferre and Diana Barry and all those splendid supporting characters I've always loved. (If there's anything more fun than figuring out which categories your family and friends fall into, it's figuring out where to place your favorite fictional characters.) You can take the test here if you're interested-- do leave a comment and let me know which type you are!

~Writing

...many great and wonderful things which you know not of. :P If you've been following my writing blog over the last year, I offer my most sincere apologies for posting, um, once. Or maybe it was twice. Whatever, it was measly. I am still working on the Rochesters, but in a vague sort of way-- they're off being beta-read by several friends and relations, and when I get them back and dust them off and ask about their trip and remind them to put their laundry in the hamper, I'll settle down to giving them what will (hopefully) be their fourth and final edit. We shall see. In the meantime, I've been devoting a lot of mental energy to some top-secret projects-- which I mention here partly to tantalize you because I'm mean like that, and partly because several people have been asking and I wanted to satiate what curiosity I could. Which isn't much. Haha.

~Learning

...to trust and rely on the Lord more. Life can be so confusing and tangled and full of sharp drop-offs and cliffs with no foreseeable end, but I serve a God who sees the future and knows the plans He has for me. His purposes and actions and love are always perfect, so why am I wasting so much of my time worrying and fretting because His plan doesn't seem to be aligning with mine? How will my faith ever be strengthened if I don't exercise it more? They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, after all-- they shall mount up with wings as eagles and run without weariness. That's what I want to be able to do.

"Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think that we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of understanding."

~also Francis Chan-- the guy has a way of putting things :D

~Reminding

...all of YOU to submit your nominations for September's I'd Like to Share! Please remember to limit them to one per person per month, and to leave them in the comments on the I'd Like to Share page, *not* just in a random post on my blog. It can be difficult to round up all the links if they're scattered across comment boxes hither, thither and yon. :D Looking forward to seeing your nominations!

Haha, at first I thought you were saying Laura Osnes was in some version of Newsies (yeah, I wasn't reading very carefully...) and was like WAIT WHAT.Anyways. :P

Personalities are so fascinating. For instance, how can you be an ISFJ with a bit of INFP thrown in when INFP has two different letters? o.O Hahahaha, that quiz doesn't understand either of us, *I* think. :P

@Melody: Some people are closer to an even mix of the opposing qualities (like N/S or F/T) than others, and the free, less in-depth online personality quizzes can't determine that as well. No one is completely 100% one quality over the other. So Miss Dashwood might be like 60% S and 40% N or something like that, and different quizzes will simply pop up whichever quality is displaying has dominance at the time she answers the questions. Sorry, I just had to answer! Psychology and personality really intrigues me. =]

Ha...nice. I am an INFP. ;) Btw, you are so lucky you are not more dominated by, and so are not entirely, an INFP. I am very much an INFP and it is so hard to stay motivated.... Actually, motivated is not the problem - stopping dreaming and actually doing - that is the problem. Anyway...

Actually...not "anyway" cos I just thought of another thing...since Myers-Briggs classification is the topic.... I forget which type Jane Austen is assumed to have been (I am sure you know) but did you know that Mr. Darcy is the same type? So Jane Austen would have patterned Darcy after herself then? Please no rotten tomatoes - I love Mr. Darcy - I grew up on Pride and Prejudice (and, yes, the '95 version). I just found that fascinating.

And now I will quickly change the subject with a comment on the weather (as it is an easier subject to jump to than that of everyone's health). Ah yes - autumn is awesome!! It is the season in which I am most inspired. I almost have to wait to write till my favorite season rolls around. There is just something in the air...and everything just comes. Easier, anyway.

Yay for Newsies! I haven't seen it yet...but I recently "discovered" it and am so looking forward to seeing it!! And I love the quote - I am a bit of a courage quote nut, I am afraid. Now I REALLY have to watch it.... ;P

I loved "Christy." And "The Count of Monte Cristo" was pretty awesome. A bit weird at places...I think I was 13 when I read it?

It was so nice to hear an update from you! You sound like you are having such fun.

HI!!! It's been a long while since I've last commented on here. Too long!

I've read The Count of Monte Cristo before and it's truly excellent :) Edmond is one of my favourite fictional characters.

I keep meaning to watch the Newsies movie because I love Alan Menken and Christian Bale. This post has spurred me on even more!

I didn't know you had your own Etsy shop! And, erm, WOW! I love your stuff! Especially that lace shoulder bag. If you ever decide to ship outside the US then let me know :)

I really enjoyed EA too although I think it took a lot longer to get going than the LBD. Did you know that there's a new S&S vlog now? It's called Elinor and Marianne Take Barton. In this version Marianne and Elinor are both university students and Marianne is the vlogger. There have only been two episodes so far but it looks extremely promising and I love the portrayal of Marianne. One slightly weird thing that they've done though is to make Charlotte Palmer and Brandon brother and sister. I found that extreeemely amusing for some reason :D

Hahaha! Your joke about being a man made me laugh! And your acting roles sound like so much! You get to kill someone! Awesome :D

I'm an INFJ so we definitely share some personality aspects :) Some ISFJ heroines are Anne Elliot and Margaret Hale.

Ah man, what you've put for Learning, it's so true but it can be so hard!

About Me

I'm really Amy, but I go by Miss Dashwood in the blogging world-- you can call me either or both. Or neither. Whatever floats your boat. I'm an old-fashioned sort of person who enjoys 21st-century plumbing and heating, does not read half as much as she wishes to, spends too much time on the Internet and really, really likes tea. I'd offer you some, but... well, you're on that side of the computer screen, and I'm on this.